Zhang Guobao

Former Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Former Director (Minister level) of the National Energy Administration

Mr. Zhang holds a master’s degree. Since 1967, he has held various positions, including at the “Third-Line Construction” factories, the Technology Division of the Automobile Bearing Bureau of the former Ministry of Machine-Building Industry, the Bureau of Foreign Expert Affairs of the State Council, the Department of Electric and Mechanic and the Department of Investment of the State Planning Commission (initially as Vice Director of the Department of Investment and then as Deputy Secretary-General of the State Planning Commission itself).

From September 1999 to January 2011, Mr. Zhang held the office of Vice Chairman of the NDRC. He served concurrently as a Vice Director of the Capital Planning and Construction Commission, and as a Director (Minister level) of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for Revitalizing the Old Industrial Bases of the Northeast and Other Areas of China in 2003. From March 2008 to January 2011, he was the Director (Minister level) of the National Energy Administration, a member of the National Energy Commission, Deputy Director of the Executive Office of the National Energy Commission, a member of the State Commission for National Defense Mobilization, the First Political Commissar of the Gold Headquarters of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, and Deputy Chief and Secretary-General of the China-Russia Vice-Premier Level Energy Negotiation Mechanism.

Mr. Zhang is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a Deputy Director of the Committee for Economic Affairs of CPPCC, and a Director of the Expert Consultative Committee of the National Energy Commission. He is also a professor at Tsinghua University and a Director of the Laboratory of Low-Carbon Energy.

Under the NDRC, Mr Zhang leads the Department of High-Tech Industry, Department of Industry, Department of Basic Industries, Department of Traffic and Transportation, National Energy Administration, Office of National Economic Mobilization and the Department of the Revitalization of the Northeastern Region by carrying out their work. He also acted as the leader of the Steering Group of the Project of Natural Gas Transmission from West to East China, a member of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Construction Project, and the leader of the Beijing Capital International Airport Construction Project.

In addition, he was a key drafter of the reform plans for China’s power, civil aviation and telecommunications systems, and led the formulation of industry policies and the mid- and long-term development plans for China’s railways, shipping, automobile, software, nuclear power and new energy industries.

During his term of office at the NDRC, Mr. Zhang was directly in charge of China’s bilateral and multilateral energy negotiations with Russia, Central Asia, Myanmar and Venezuela. He completed a series of international cooperative projects, such as the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline, the China-Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline, the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline and the China-Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipelines. Mr. Zhang has also served as Vice Chair of the World Energy Council (WEC).